Stamp or ticket vending machine.



PATENTED SEPT. 24, 1907.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 29.1906.

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PATENTED SEPT. 24, 1907.

E. D. SCHMITT. STAMP 0R TICKET VENDING MAGHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 29. 1906.

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PATENTBDy SEPT. 24, 1907. E. D. SCHMITT.

STAMP OR TICKET VENDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED .mm1 29.1906.

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UNITED STATES ,ea-Tn'nTgonnion.

EDWARD D. SCHMITT, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOB. OF-TWO-THIRDS TOROBERT H. POLLOCK AND W. FRANK THOMAS, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

STAMP OR TICIUJT Specification of Letters Patent.

VENDING MACHINE.

Patented Sept. 24, 1907.

To all wilma it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD D. SCHMITT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Stamp or Ticket VendingMachines, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to a check-controlled machine for vending postagestamps, tickets or other articles, and consists in a machine of thischaracter, which, upon the deposit of a.coin of proper denomination intothe coin chute, and upon the operation ofan end wheel, will force thearticle, which may be a postage stamp, ticket or something similar,through the delivery tube to the outside of the casing.

The object of the invention is to produce a machine, which is simple inconstruction, efficient in operation, durable in use, and comparativelylinexpensive of manufacture.

With this and other objects in view, the invention consists in' certaindetails of construction and combination of parts, which will hereinafterbe fully described and set forth in the appended claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1, is a horizontal sectional view through thecasing, showing the mechanism in v top plan. Fig. 2, is a verticalsectional view, through the casing on the line 22 of Fig. 1, showing themechanism in front elevation. Fig. 3, is a vertical sectional view,taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, and looking in the direction of thearrow. Fig. 4, is a horizontal scctional view, taken on the line 4-4 ofFig. 2, illustrating the two gripping devices. Fig. 5, is a detailsection, taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6, is a detailperspective view of the upper end of the guide for the feed gripper.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 1 denotes asuitable box or casing to inclose the mechanism, and 2, denotes thedelivery tube projecting through the bottom of said casing. The saidtube has its side walls cut away to form slots 3, which permit the jawsof a suitable gripper to engage the postage stamps, tickets or otherarticles passing through said tube.

The postage stamps or tickets 4, are put in a continuous strip, which isrolled upon a reel or drum 5, journaled in bearings 6, projecting from avertical standard or bracket 7. The said standard 7 is secured to thebottom of the casing and supports a sliding block or carriage S, thedove-tailed rib 9 formed upon the rear of said block engages a similarlyshaped groove 10, in the front face of the bracket to permit said blockto slide upon the standard. Projecting downwardly from the bottom ofsaid block, is a stem l1, upon which the feed gripper 12 is pivoted. Oneend of said gripper is formed with jaws 13, which may befaced withrubber or similar material and which are adapted to engage the strip ofstamps through the slots 3, in the delivery tube 2.

beveled ends or blocks 14, which are adapted to contact -with the guidefianges 15, projecting from the side of an upright bracket l16, securedto the bottom of the casing. The said guide flanges 15 have their upperends beveled outwardly in opposite directions, and their lower endsbeveled inwardly toward each other. A coil spring 17 having its endsseated in sockets, formed in the outer ends of the feed gripper adjacentto the beveled ends 14, exerts its energy to hold said ends apart and toforce the jaws 13 together to engage the strip of stamps.

The said spring 17 holds the outer ends of the gripper 12 at all timesin contact with the vertical pins 19, secured upon the free ends of thecheck or safety gripper 20, which has its members pivoted together attheir opposite ends to the bottom of the casing at 21. The said pins 19are guided between the ears 19 upon the outer faces of the sockets 18.The said check gripper 20 is provided with jaws. 22, faced with rubberand adapted to engage the strip of stamps throughthe slots 3, in thedelivery tube 2, which passes between the jaws of said check gripper,adjacent to their pivot point. A coil spring 23 of greater strength thanthe spring 17, has its ends secured to the vertical pins 19, to hold thejaws `22, of said gripper 20 in engagement with the strip of stamps, atall times, excepting when the feed gripper forces them apart, in orderto permit a stamp to be fed out of the delivery tube.

Secured upon the front face of the sliding block 8, is a plate 24,formed with a central slot or opening 25, the sidewalls of which areprovided with rack teeth 26 and 27. A mutilated gear 28 is adapted toengage, alternately, said racks 26 and 27, to move the sliding block upand down. The gear 28 is fixed upon the inner end of a horizontal shaft29, journaled in the bearing 30, formed upon the side wall of thecasing, and projecting P.through the same, and carrying upon its outerend an "u' operating handle or knob 31, by means of which said shaft maybe rotated, when unlocked by the deposit of a coin or check into thecoin chute.

The shaft 29 is locked from forward rotation by a pawl 32 engaging ashoulder 33, formed upon the cam 34, which is secured upon said shaft.The pawl 32 is piv otcd upon the forward end of a bracket 35, projectingfrom one side of the standard 7. Said pawl is formed with a dependingarm 36, which is bifurcated to form a slot 37, which is adapted toengage a pin 38, upon an arm 39, projecting from a sleeve or hub 40,journaled upon the forward end dna bracket 41, which also pro- Theopposite ends of said gripperare formed with jects from one side of thestandard 7. Projecting laterally from said sleeve or hub 40, is a lever42, formed with a coin cup 43, upon its free ends, which extends intothe coin chute 44. The lever is balanced bya weight 45, adjustablysecured upon an arm 46, projecting from said hub or sleeve in theopposite direction.

The shaft 29 is prevented from retrograde rotation by a pawl 47, pivotedat 4S to the side wall of the casing, and engaging a ratchet wheel 49,fixed upon said shaft. A spring 50 holds said pawlin contact with theteeth upon said ratchet wheel.

In the operation of the machine, a coin of the proper denomination isdropped into the upper end of the coin chute 44, which projects upon theoutside of the casing through the top or cover. When the coin falls intothe coin cup 43, the balance of the lever 42 is destroyed, and saidlever, owing to the weight of the coin, moves downwardly sufficient todisengage the pawl 32, from the shoulder 33, upon the cam 34. The motionof said lever is imparted to the pawl through the pin 38 upon the arm39, engaging the bifurcated end of the arm 3G, formed upon the pawl. Assoon as the pawl unlocks the shaft 29, the operating handle or knob 31,upon the front of the casing is turned to rotate the shaft 29 and themutilated gear 28.

vWith the parts in the position illustrated in the drawings, which istheir normal position, it will be noted that a few teeth of themutilated gear are in mesh with the upper end of the rack 26, thebeveled ends 14 of the feed grippers 12 are spread apart and engage theouter faces of the guide flanges 15 in order to force the jaws 13 towardeach other to engage the strip of stamps, and the jaws of the checkgripper 20 are spread apart by the separated ends of the feedgripper.When the A parts are in this position, and the shaft 29 rotates in thedirection of the arrow in Fig. 2, the sliding block 8, which carries thefeed gripper will be moved down sufliciently to allow the beveled ends14 of said gripper to disengage from the lower ends of the flanges 15,when the tension of the coil spring 23 will draw the free ends of thecheck gripper 20, and the beveled ends 14 of the feed gripper towardeach other, to release the jaws of the feed gripper from the strip ofstamps and to force the jaws of the check gripper into engagement withthe same. At the saine instant that this takes place, the teeth on themutilated gear 28 will engage the rack teeth 27 upon the opposite sideof the slot in the plate 24, and as the shaft is rotated, will move thesliding block 8, and feed gripper 12 up to permit them to take a freshhold upon the strip of stamps. As the feed gripper is raised, thebeveled ends 14 will ride upon the inner faces of the guide flanges 15,and upon the bracket 1G, and upon reaching the upper ends of saidflanges, the coil spring 17 will force the jaws of said gripper apartsufficiently to allow the bevel upon the lower facesof the ends orblocks 14, to engage the beveled upper surfaces of the flanges 15. Assoon as this has occurred, the teeth on the mutilated gear willdisengage from the rack teeth 27, and mesh with the rack 2G. As theslidingl block S and the feed gripper 12 move downwardly upon thecontinued rotation of the gear, the beveled ends 14 will be forced apartand will ride upon the outer faces of the guide flanges 15, the jaws ofthe check gripper will be forced apart by the spreading apart of thebeveled ends 14, and the jaws 13 of the feed gripper will be inengagement with the strip of stamps forcing the saine downwardly and outof the delivery tube 2, as said feed gripper moves downwardly. It is, ofcourse, understood the downward movement of the feed gripper is equal tothe length of the stamp, ticket or the article to be vended and ifdesired, the downward feed may be made to correspond to the length oftwo, three, or any desired number of stamps or tickets, which areseparated by rows of perforations to allow them to be easily severedfrom the continuous strip as they are fed out of the delivery tube inthe bottom of the casing.

When the sliding block and-feed gripper have moved down the properdistance, the pawl 32 will drop into engagement with the shoulder 33.upon the cani 34 and prevent the further rotation of the shaft 29.

As the weight of the coin may not be sufficient to pull the lever 42down far enough to permit the coin to discharge from the coin cup 43,upon its end, the cam 34, as it is rotated by the shaft 29, forces saidpawl downwardly as it rides over the surface of the cam, and themovement of said pawl will be imparted to the lever, through thebifurcated arm 36 and the pin 3S, to force said lever down sufficientlyto allow the coin to roll out of the cup. The weight 45 will thenrestore the lever and pawl to their proper positions.

In the drawing, the mechanism illustrated is adapted to vend stamps ofone denomination, for instance one cent stamps. It is of courseunderstood that this mechanism may be repeated with slight changes andinclosed in the same casing, to vend stamps of various other values ordenominations.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, the construction and operation of the invention will bereadily understood, without requiring a more extended explanation.

Various changes in the form, proportion and the minor details ofconstruction may be resorted to without departing from the principle orsacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Claims.

1. In a "ending-machine, an automatic feed-mechanism composed of avcltically-recipiocatoi'y feedgripper, a fixed check or safety-gripperadapted to be opened b v the closing of the reciprocatory-gripper, andmeans closing said reciprocatorygripper and thereby openingr thecheckgripper.

2. In a vending,r machine, an automatic feed-mechanism composed of averticallyreciprocatory feed-grijnper, :i xed check-gripper, arrangedbelow said recipiocatory-gripper and adapted to be opened by the closingof the reciprocatory-gripper, :ind means alternately opening and closingbath grippei's. '3. In a vending-machine, an automatic feed-mechanismcomposed of a feed-gripper pivotalIy-mounted on avertically-reciprocatory block or carriage, a fixed check-gripper,pivoted below said feed-gripper and adapted to be opened by theclosing,r of the feed-gripper, and means closing said feed-gripper tocause the check-gripper to release its grip on the article being;r fed.

4. In a "ending machine, the combination of pivotally mounted checkgrippers having a fixed pivot, reciprocatoi'y pivotally mounted feedgrippers, means to impart reciproeatingr motion to the feed grippers,means to alternately open and close them, and connections between thefeed grippers and the check grippers, whereby the latter are operated bythe former, substantially as described.

5. In a vending-machine, an automatic feed-iiiecl.ianisrn composed of afeed-gripper pivotally-mounted on a vertically-reciprocatory blockoicarriage, a fixed cheek-gripper,

866,891 f j A 3 arranged below said feed-gripper and adapted to beoperated by the feed-j 'ipper, and means alternately opening and closingboth grippcrs.

f. In a vending-nmchine, the combination of a feedgripperpivotally-mounted on a vertical block or carriage, a check-gripper,connections between the two grippers, whereby the check-gripper isopened by the closing of the feed-gripper, means reciprocating the blockor carriage and thereby the feed-gripper, and means alternately openingand closing both grippers.

7. ln a vending-machine, the combination ot' a reciprocatoryfeed-gripper. a check-gripper arranged below the feed-gripper. meansautomatically opening said feed-gripper and connections between the twogrppers, whereby the opening of' the feed-gripper will cause the closingof the check-griplwr.

S. In a vending-machine. the combination of averticalLv-movable'feed-gripper. a fixed check-gripper arranged belowthe feed-gripper and connected therewith, and means alternately closingthe movable or feed-gripper and the check-fripper.

fl. In a vending-machine, the combination of a verticall \-movablefeed-gripmr, a fixed check-gripper arranged below the feed-gripper.connections between the grippers, and co-acting cams and tappetsalternately closing and openingr the movable feed-gripper and thecheck-gripper.

lo. ln a vending machine, the combination ot' a check gripper having afixed pivot and guides 19, a reciprocating element, a pivoted feedgripper carried thereby and engaging said guides, whereby the check andfeed grippers are slidably connected together. and means to operate oneof said grippers. and thereby cause the other gripper to be operated,substantially as described.

l1. ln a vending machine, the combination of a relatively fixed checkgripper, a reciprocating element, a feed gripper carried thereby, meansto operate the feed and check gripperss in alternation. a revolubleelement and racks, and a mutilated gear to convey power from saidrevoluble to said reciprocatingr clement, substantially as described.

12. 'Ihe combination in a vending machine, of a check gripper having atixed pivot, a reciprocating element, a pivotally mounted feed grippercarried thereby, means t0 slidably connect the feed gripper to the checkgripper, and coactingr cams, tappets and springs to operate the checkand feed grippers in alternation, substantially as described.

l. ln a vending-unichine. the combination of a springpressedmovable-gripperf 'i relatively fixed spring-re-` strained check-gripper,a gnide element, means operating the feed-gripper to alternately openand close both grippers, and controlling-means to permit thefeed-gripper to be operated so as to deliver the article. 'v v 14. In avending machine, the combination of a relatively fixed check gripper, amovable feed gripper, a guide element. means for operating the feed andcheck grippers alternately, a locking-device to lock the grippersagainst movement, and controlling means having connection with thelocking-device and adapted to be operated to permit a movement of thefeed gripper to deliver the merchandise, substantially as described.

15. In a vending machine, the combination of a relatively fixed checkgripper, a movable feed gripper, a guide element. means for operatingthe feed gripper and to alternately open and close the feed and checkgrippers, a locking-device to normally prevent a movement of thegrippers, an operating lever having connection with the lockingdeviceand adapted to unlock and permit a movement of the mechanism to deliverthe merchandise.

1P. In a vending-machine, the combination of a vertically-movable blockor carriage, a feed-gripper pivoted to said block, a check-gripperpivoted below the feed-gripper, connections between the grippers, aguide element, and means reciprocating the block to operate thegrippers.

17. In a vending-machine, the combination of a vertically-movable blockor carriage, a spring-pressed feedgripper pivoted to said block, aspring-restrained checkgripper pivoted below the feed-gripper,connections between the grippers, whereby the check-gripper is caused toopen by the closing of the feed-gripper, a guide element, and meansreciprocating the block to operate the feedgripper.

18. In a vending-machine, the combination of a vertically-movable blockor carriage, a feed-gripper pivoted to said block, a relatively fixedcheck-gripper, pins carried by the check-gripper, guides carried by thefeed-gripper and adapted to act against said pins, a spring arranged toclose the jaws of the feed-gripper, a spring arranged to close the jawsof the check-gripper, a guide element, and means reciprocating the blockto operate Ithe feed-gripper.

In testimony whereof` I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EDWARD D. SCHMITT.

Witnesses z HERMAN DANEMAN,

II. W. WELCH.

